Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17
Francis Julius Bellamy was an American Christian Baptist minister and author, best known for writing the original version of the US Pledge of Allegiance in 1892. He was born in 1855 in Mt. Morris, New York and he died in 1931 in Tampa, Florida. Today on Wilsky Blvd. in Tampa stands Bellamy Elementary, painted to resemble the flag for which it stands.
The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth’s Companion on September 8, 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.
In its original form it read:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1923, the words, “the Flag of the United States of America” were added. At this time it read:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God,” creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy’s daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Principles from the pledge to focus on as we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence on this Fourth of July:
1. We pledge our uncompromising allegiance to our country, The United States of America. There is no other and there is no greater.
2. We are one. All count equally. We stand for one and as a citizen we stand for all. No one counts for more than anyone.
3. We are a republic, not a democracy that can become a mobocracy. We are subject to a higher law, the divine law of Almighty God.
4. We are a nation under God, the supreme creator and ultimate ruler of all.
5. We are indivisible as we stand united in our cause, and we cannot be divided.
6. We believe in freedom and liberty and justice for all of our people. The rights and liberties of each one are the rights and liberties and justice of all Americans.
Perhaps most of all, we believe that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and our nation is built on that heritage and as Americans, we know that without its birth in the Spirit of God, America would never be the great country it is. May we never stray from that foundation of our national existence and may we continue to individually and as a nation lift up our God as the author of true liberty and justice for all.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
20 RULES OF OUR HOME:
#1 We love God, obey Jesus, and follow His Word.
#2 We love, honor, and pray for one another.
#3 Mom and Dad are in charge. Period.
#4 We speak respectfully with one another, even when we disagree.
#5 Rules are rules – they are not general guidelines.
#6 Life is not always about you, sometimes it is about others.
#7 You are not expected to be perfQUOTES YOU CAN USEect, therefore, you may not expect perfection from others.
#8 If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything.
#9 When someone is sorry, we forgive them.
#10 When someone is sad, we comfort them.
#11 We someone is happy we rejoice with them.
#12 We tell the truth.
#13 We keep our word.
#14 If we make a mess, we clean it up.
#15 If we turn something on, we turn it off.
#16 If we take something out, we put it away.
#17 If we don’t know what to do, we ask.
#18 We do not hurt one another with unkind words or deeds.
#19 We take care of everything God has given us.
#20 When we disobey “The Rules of our Home,” we accept discipline.
How would you adapt these for your home?
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
You can’t stop evil thoughts from coming into your mind, but you can decide to either cast them or capture them!!!!! Jo Mo Cousins
Even when we are exiled by circumstances and stranded on islands of difficulty, we can worship and praise God. Robert P. Morgan
I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas
The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues. Rene Descartes
The Kingdom is bigger than the local church. Cindy Heiberg
People don’t run out of dreams, people run out of time. Glenn Frey
What sweetness is left in life if you take away friendship? Robbing life of friendship is like robbing the world of the sun. A true friend is more to be esteemed than kinsfolk. Cicero
One drop of truth can outweigh an ocean of lies. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Many of us live isolated in a bubble totally unaware of the needs at their feet. Max Wilkins
Before we change our way of working, we need to change our way of thinking. Kelly Knouse
Jesus doesn’t want to change our behavior. He wants to transform our heart. He is more interested in our inside than our outside. Chris Dodson